On November 15th, the Center for Social & Behavioral Science, in collaboration with the School of Labor and Employment Relations, hosted the third Future of Work Symposium. The event focused on technology’s (especially AI’s) growing impact on the workplace and explored its broader implications for the future of the workforce with insights from speakers Dr. Saiph Savage and Dr. Paul Leonardi.
Andrew Weaver, associate professor of labor and employment relations, kicked off the event by welcoming attendees, sharing a brief history of future of work symposium series, and providing an overview of the event. Josh Barbour (professor, communication) then guided everyone in an icebreaker activity. Attendees were invited to share why they attended the event and what they hoped to learn.
Saiph Savage (assistant professor, computer science, and director of the Civic A.I. Lab at Northeastern University) presented first, sharing her research on the intersection of AI and the gig economy, exploring how technology is often designed without consideration for the well-being of gig workers. Savage emphasized the need to prioritize workers’ well-being and discussed how AI technology could be harnessed to empower them, such as integrating technologies to support workers’ health and security.
Paul Leonardi (professor and chair of technology management at UC Santa Barbara) followed with a thought-provoking presentation on four key forces shaping the future of work: the problem of means, synthetic data, algorithmic rationality, and delegation. Leonardi warned that overreliance on AI in workplace decision-making could have harmful effects on workers. “So much of how product development happens, or how we work depends on data. We are in the midst of a synthetic content deluge, and the more recursively generated (synthetic data generated through AI) data we have, the less likely we are to being accurate.”
After a short break, attendees were invited to once again share with their neighbors, discussing the presented information and brainstorming how a deeper understanding of the technologies of work could impact their own research.
Attendees brought up a variety of questions ranging from concerns about the ethical use of AI in the workplace to broader issues of governance and regulation. There were mixed opinions in the group- some attendees voiced concerns about the potential dangers of AI, while others highlighted the opportunities for innovation and improvement. The symposium brought together researchers from across campus, offering them an opportunity to connect and engage with important issues surrounding the future of work.